Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Line-Up: All 15 Celebrities Confirmed
The wait is over. Melanie Walters was confirmed as the final celebrity joining Strictly Come Dancing 2026 on 12
The wait is over. Melanie Walters was confirmed as the final celebrity joining Strictly Come Dancing 2026 on 12 August, completing a 15-strong lineup that mixes soap regulars, Olympic athletes, social media personalities, and a few names that genuinely surprised everyone.
The show returns to BBC One and iPlayer in September — now with three new hosts after the biggest behind-the-scenes shake-up in years. Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe take over presenting duties. The judging panel of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Head Judge Shirley Ballas stays intact.
Here is the complete confirmed lineup, plus everything you need to know about who they are and what to expect.
Quick Answer
The full Strictly Come Dancing 2026 celebrity lineup is: Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis, and Melanie Walters. The show returns to BBC One in September 2026 with Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe as the new presenting trio.
The New-Look Strictly 2026: What’s Changed
Before the celebrities, the format itself has shifted more than usual this year.
The hosting line-up is new for the first time since Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly left. Emma Willis brings mainstream presenting credibility — she hosted Big Brother for years and has a natural ease with live television that Strictly demands. Johannes Radebe steps up from professional dancer to presenter, a transition that has been widely welcomed by fans. Josh Widdicombe adds comedy energy to a role that can occasionally feel slightly stiff.
The professional dancer line-up has also seen significant change. Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Gorka Márquez have all departed. Neil Jones and Nancy Xu remain but will not have a celebrity partner this series. The pairings, when announced closer to the launch show, will be drawn from a reshaped pro roster.
The judging panel — Craig, Motsi, Anton, and Shirley — provides continuity. Shirley Ballas continues as Head Judge.
The Full 2026 Celebrity Lineup
1. Lacey Turner — EastEnders Actress
Lacey Turner has played Stacey Slater in EastEnders since 2004, with breaks, making her one of the longest-serving cast members in the soap’s history. She is a BAFTA winner and a Soap Awards staple. Audiences know her instinctively — which is both an asset and a pressure on the Strictly dancefloor, where expectations arrive fully formed.
2. Dani Dyer — Television Personality
Dani Dyer won Love Island Series 4 in 2018 alongside Jack Fincham and has maintained a consistent media presence since — television appearances, a book deal, and a documentary following her pregnancy and family life with West Ham player Jarrod Bowen. Her father Danny Dyer’s EastEnders fame has always been part of her public identity, but Dani has worked hard to establish her own.
3. Delta Goodrem — Singer
Australian singer Delta Goodrem is best known in the UK for her early 2000s pop career — Innocent Eyes, Born to Try, and Lost Without You were all significant UK chart hits. She also had a long run as a coach on The Voice Australia and has maintained a strong fanbase across both hemispheres. Her musical background suggests she will understand performance craft, if not necessarily ballroom footwork.
4. Chris Appleton — Celebrity Hairstylist
Chris Appleton is one of the most famous hairstylists in the world — his client list includes Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, and Kylie Minogue. He married actor Lukas Gage in 2023, separated shortly afterwards, and has maintained a very public profile across social media. He is known for being unfiltered and entertaining, which should translate well to the show’s behind-the-scenes content.
5. Cach Mercer — Reality Television Star
Cach Mercer brings a reality television background — familiar territory for the Strictly format, which has historically welcomed contestants from across the reality spectrum. His specific fanbase will be invested in the public vote.
6. Will Best — Presenter
Will Best is a television and radio presenter known for hosting Hits Radio’s Breakfast Show, as well as presenting roles across music and entertainment television. He said of his casting: “I can’t quite believe it… I’m doing Strictly! What an absolute dream. Albeit a pretty terrifying one. I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this.” The live performance experience he brings from presenting should help — Strictly’s dancefloor is, at its core, another live television environment.
7. Dame Sarah Storey — Paralympic Cyclist
Dame Sarah Storey is one of the most decorated athletes in British Paralympic history — 19 Paralympic gold medals across swimming and cycling, spanning five decades of elite competition. She is precise, disciplined, and accustomed to performing under pressure in ways most Strictly celebrities are not. Her physical conditioning will be an obvious asset. Whether the movement vocabulary of ballroom and Latin suits her athletic background is the interesting question.
8. Jaime Winstone — Actress
Jaime Winstone has a screen career spanning film and television — Made in Dagenham, Tomb Raider, the zombie drama Dead Set, and Poirot, alongside playing EastEnders legend Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic Babs and reprising Windsor’s Peggy Mitchell in a flashback special. She brings genuine acting range and the kind of emotional expressiveness that tends to translate well to performance-based competition.
9. Bethany Antonia — Actress
Bethany Antonia is best known for House of the Dragon, HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, where she plays Baela Targaryen. She has also appeared in Doctors, Get Even, and Doctor Who. She said: “I can’t quite believe that I will be heading to the Strictly ballroom this September! I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on.” Her Targaryen role required physical confidence — she may be more capable on the dancefloor than audiences expect.
10. Shaun Wright-Phillips — Former Footballer
Shaun Wright-Phillips played for Manchester City, Chelsea, and England across a career that spanned the 2000s and early 2010s. He made 36 international appearances and was known for his pace, directness, and technical skill. He brings significant name recognition to the lineup — particularly for audiences who followed Premier League football during that era. His son Ziah Wright-Phillips has also built a profile in football media.
11. Graeme Hall — Dog Trainer
Graeme Hall, known as “The Dogfather,” is a professional dog trainer and television presenter whose gentle, results-focused approach to dog behaviour has made him a recognisable figure across ITV programming. He brings warmth and audience likeability — the type of contestant who tends to generate goodwill in the public vote regardless of technical ability.
12. Lawrence Robb — Emmerdale Actor
Lawrence Robb has played Mackenzie Boyd in ITV’s Emmerdale since October 2020, across more than 650 episodes. He is a 34-year-old Scottish actor from Glasgow with a theatre background and the physical performance experience that six years of intensive soap filming provides. His Emmerdale fanbase is loyal and vocal — both will matter when the public vote opens. He is in a relationship with West End actress Pamela Blair.
13. Tabby Stoecker — Olympic Skeleton Athlete
Tabby Stoecker is an Olympic gold medallist in skeleton — a sport that requires extraordinary physical courage and split-second precision at speeds exceeding 130km/h. She brings a completely different kind of athletic experience to the lineup compared to Dame Sarah Storey — skeleton is about instinct, nerve, and body position rather than the endurance and repetition of cycling. Whether that translates to rhythm and musicality is the interesting unknown.
14. John Nellis — Football Content Creator
John Nellis is a sports content creator with billions of views across social media platforms, known primarily for football-related content. He represents the social media generation’s increasing presence in reality and competition formats — his digital audience will follow him into the competition through voting apps and social platforms in ways that traditional celebrity fanbases may not.
He said: “I’m still in disbelief that I’ve been selected for Strictly and, if I’m honest, I’m a little nervous as I’ve never danced before!”
15. Melanie Walters — Actress (Final Confirmation)
Melanie Walters is the final celebrity confirmed for the 2026 series, announced on 12 August. She is best known for playing Gwen, Stacey’s mum, in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey — one of the most beloved British comedies of the past two decades and a show whose 2024 Christmas special became the most-watched programme of that year.
She said: “Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room. This year I am completely thrilled and happy to swap my fairy wand for sequinned dance shoes. I just hope I don’t follow Cinderella and leave one on the Ballroom stairs.”
Her pantomime background means she is no stranger to live performance under theatrical conditions — and her beloved status from Gavin & Stacey will generate enormous goodwill from the public vote.
The Full 2026 Lineup at a Glance
| Celebrity | Known For | Key Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Lacey Turner | EastEnders (Stacey Slater) | BAFTA-winning actress, massive fanbase |
| Dani Dyer | Love Island winner, TV personality | Strong social media audience |
| Delta Goodrem | Singer, Voice Australia | Musical background, performance experience |
| Chris Appleton | Celebrity hairstylist (Kim K, JLo) | Entertaining personality, global fame |
| Cach Mercer | Reality television | Fanbase voting support |
| Will Best | Presenter, Hits Radio | Live TV experience |
| Dame Sarah Storey | 19 Paralympic gold medals | Elite physical conditioning |
| Jaime Winstone | Film and TV actress | Emotional expressiveness, range |
| Bethany Antonia | House of the Dragon | Physical confidence, rising star |
| Shaun Wright-Phillips | England footballer | Name recognition, coordination |
| Graeme Hall | The Dogfather, dog trainer | Audience warmth, likeable |
| Lawrence Robb | Emmerdale (Mackenzie Boyd) | Theatre background, loyal fanbase |
| Tabby Stoecker | Olympic skeleton gold medalist | Athletic nerve and precision |
| John Nellis | Football content creator, billions of views | Digital native audience, young voter base |
| Melanie Walters | Gavin & Stacey (Gwen) | Beloved public figure, panto experience |
The Ones to Watch
For the trophy: Dame Sarah Storey’s physical discipline and Bethany Antonia’s performance background both suggest real potential. Athletes who make it to the latter stages of Strictly tend to be those whose sport required body awareness and precision — skeleton and dragon-riding both qualify.
For the journey: Melanie Walters and Graeme Hall are the heart of the lineup — the contestants whose progress will be most emotionally invested by the viewing public, regardless of technical ability.
For the public vote: Lawrence Robb’s Emmerdale audience, Dani Dyer’s Love Island following, and John Nellis’s digital-native fanbase all bring built-in voting infrastructure that can carry contestants further than pure dancing ability.
The wildcard: Chris Appleton. He is famous in a way that does not map neatly onto the usual Strictly contestant archetypes. His personality and social media following could make him either the most entertaining contestant of the series or an early departure.
When Does Strictly 2026 Start?
The launch show airs on BBC One and iPlayer in September 2026, with the first live show the following weekend. Professional partner pairings will be revealed at the launch — the moment every fan has been speculating about since the celebrity list was completed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is in the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 lineup? The 15 confirmed celebrities are: Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis, and Melanie Walters.
Who are the new Strictly 2026 hosts? Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe replace the previous presenting duo. The judging panel — Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Head Judge Shirley Ballas — remains the same.
When does Strictly 2026 start? The launch show airs in September 2026 on BBC One and iPlayer, with the first live competitive show the following weekend. Exact dates will be confirmed by the BBC closer to the launch.
Who left the Strictly professional dancer lineup in 2026? Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Gorka Márquez have all departed the professional lineup for 2026. Neil Jones and Nancy Xu remain but will not have celebrity partners this series.
Who is the favourite to win Strictly 2026? Based on the confirmed lineup, Dame Sarah Storey’s elite athletic discipline and Bethany Antonia’s performance experience make both early favourites. Melanie Walters and Graeme Hall are most likely to be driven by public vote rather than technical scores.
